Online media

Pakistan PM Imran roll out Cabinet

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has unveiled his 21-member Cabinet, most of whom previously held key posts in the Pervez Musharraf regime. The cabinet comprises 15 federal ministers and five advisers, PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry shared on Twitter. Pakistan cabinet is expected to take oath on Monday at the President’s House.

Pak media reports, Imran Khan and his cabinet face a myriad of challenges including militant extremism, water shortages, and a rapidly growing population negating growth in the developing country, among others. A massive power outage that plunged over 60 per cent of Karachi and Balochistan province on Friday evening starkly highlighted a chronic energy crisis the country faces. Most pressing is a looming economic crisis, with speculation that Pakistan will have to seek a bailout from the International Monetary
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesman Fawad Chaudhry has said that out of the 21 names announced, 16 will be ministers while five others will be advisers to Khan.

According to the list shared by Chaudhry on his Twitter account, veteran politician Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be the foreign minister.

Qureshi, the vice president of the party, was the foreign minister from 2008 to 2011 under the Pakistan Peoples Party government when the 2008 Mumbai terror attack took place. He was in New Delhi when 10 Pakistan-based LeT terrorists attacked India’s financial capital.

Pervaiz Khattak has been appointed the defence minister while Asad Umer will be the finance minister. Khattak served as the chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province from 2013-18.

Asad Umer is the son of former Lt Gen Mohammad Umer who was part of the Pakistan Army during 1971 war with India.

The newly-announced Cabinet is expected to take oath tomorrow at the President’s House. At least 12 members of Khan’s Cabinet served under General (retd) Musharraf, The News reported.

The new Cabinet includes a former spokesperson of Musharraf, his attorney and several members of his cabinet and core team, the paper said.